A Long Way Away
by Annika Richards
Summary: There is but one child of Apollo who lives. Her name is Christian. Arriving a week before Percy and his friends come back from Greece after defeating Gaea, Christian barely knows anyone, and has no combat skills whatsoever. Can she find a deadly weapon to use against her opponents? What happens when she looks into the future and finds that her love isn't what he seems?
1. Chapter 1

The pearl sword sliced through the air, narrowly missing my head. An inch wide lock of golden blonde hair floated to the dust coated ground, the wind brushing it away a few feet. I spun around, swinging my sword to meet my opponent, metal clanging against pearl. It continued on like this for what seemed like hours, but time is always weird when in combat. You could be fighting for hours and it only feels like minutes. The pearl blade came at me again, but I was to slow. Fire erupted behind my eyes as the the sword gauged a deep line in my cheek. I cried out, growling in anger. How is it that a child of Aphrodite can beat me, a daughter of Apollo, in combat? But she, however, had been in combat before. Piper McLean had helped defeat Gaea last year, along with Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Nico DiAngelo, Hazel Levesque, Jason Grace, Leo Valdez, and Reyna Ramírez-Arellano. I had only been at Camp Half Blood for a week before they came back from Greece. I gave up fighting Piper, throwing my sword down in frustration. Too tired to do anything else, I sat down in the middle of the arena, closing my eyes. I heard Piper's sword clanging as she put it back in it's sheath. She sighed

"You know, Christian, you won't win a battle by throwing your weapon down and sitting on the ground." I opened my eyes and looked up, brushing my sweaty, blonde hair away from my face. Piper stood right in front of me with her hands on her hips, her boots and face covered in dust. I assumed I looked the same, if not worse. I rolled my eyes. Personally, I preferred to sing lullabies to my enemies, making them fall fast asleep, or maybe shoot them at long distances with a bow and arrow, but not face to face combat.

"Shut up, Piper." I huffed, trying to stay in a bad mood. Ha. A weakness. Who knew being positive could be a weakness.

"Suit yourself. I'm just saying you need to be more persistent in your attacks." I nodded, unable to stop myself. Standing up, I picked my sword up from the ground, putting it in it's sheath.

"You know what, Piper? You are fucking right. You are fucking right every time. Just because I like, have a weakness for being positive, doesn't mean that I can't be the devil if I want, though." I ended with a threat, which sent a twinge of uneasiness through me. This girl was totally capable of slitting my throat while I'm sleeping. I didn't really want to die quite yet, but trying to defy my father's personality would be worth it. Instead of killing me, Piper shrugged, just as the bell clanged, signaling dinner. I cursed. "This isn't over." I muttered under my breath, briskly walking towards the mess hall for lunch.

I sat down by myself at the Apollo table, lonely. I was the only known living child of Apollo, Greek or Roman. Luckily, he wasn't always busy, so there were many days where I had a partner at the table. Percy Jackson said I was lucky to have a Godly parent who cared, and most of the other campers wanted to kill me for it. I was lucky. I had a huge weakness, but I was lucky.

The magical plate filled up with ribs and steak, which I promptly butchered, my foul mood draining away. At least there was one thing I could cut up, even if it didn't run away from me. Not wanting to anger my dad with an offering of beef (He keeps his own herd of cattle), I put my salad that I got as a side dish into the bonfire. The flames leapt higher, a mix of orange and yellow. Though only children of Hephaestus could control and wield fire as a weapon, I could change it's shape without meaning to. Just like Percy can breath under water without trying. Instead of sitting down back inside the mess hall, I sat down by the fire, it's tongues of orange and yellow flame glowing in the now dark forest. This is where I could think the most efficiently.

Running my hand along the smooth bark of the log I was sitting on, I began to sing. I didn't even know where the song came from, but it was beautiful.

_In the grass by the willow tree,_

_Lay the most ancient of living things,_

_A tomb of gold and pearl untold._

_What is it that lays by the willow tree?_

_The grass may wilt,_

_The leaves may fall._

_But one fate,_

_Surpasses them all._

_Death by love,_

_Torture by care._

_The future is costly,_

_But do not despair. _

By the time I finished, I had a crowd of campers watching me. I blushed, the firelight illuminating my face. I turned, feeling a shoulder on my hand. A boy with brown hair and amber, almost golden eyes was looking at me. I guessed he was the one son of Hestia, because no other god has such unique eyes.

"That was amazing, Christian." He said, and turned back to the mess hall, walking away. Shortly after, the crowd dispersed, praising me on my voice and words, leaving me sitting on the log in shock. I didn't even know most of the Demigods who talked to me, yet they knew me. Maybe it was because I was the only child of Apollo, which made me pretty famous. I couldn't stop thinking about the son of Hestia, with his warm, golden eyes. But, I mean it makes sense that his eyes seemed warm, being the son of Hestia and all.

As a Demigod, you usually have dreams at night. Like, real dreams. Not the fuzzy, happy dreams that humans control. These dreams are messages, usually threats from other gods. Tonight, however, I was only visited by one dream. My father. It went kind of like this...

_Me- Dad?_

_Apollo- Sup?_

_Me- I don't know... Aren't you the one who made this dream?_

_Apollo- Oh, ya! Great song tonight! I listened to every word, though I trust you didn't do it for the praise or attention. Right?_

_Me- I didn't even know what I was singing until the end. Also, I really don't like being positive all the time._

_Apollo- I completely understand. It can be like a curse sometimes, and a powerful weapon the other times._

_Me- Powerful weapon?_

_Apollo- Yah! If you annoy your enemy enough by using your sunny attitude, it'll be easier to kill them._

_Me- Really?...Wow... I think I know how to defeat Piper!_

_Apollo- That daughter of Aphrodite? Psht. You can beat her any day._

_Me- I've been trying for a week._

_Apollo- Oh... Well, I'm glad I could help. Time to wake up soon!_

_Me- Bye!_

The scene fades out, leaving me in my sunlit cabin, staring at the ceiling. Today, I was going to beat Piper. I was going to use my weakness to my advantage. I was going to annoy the crap out of her. Hopefully, she doesn't kill me afterwards.


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm going to win this time." I said to Piper, who laughed, shaking her hair out of her face.

"Oh, really? After your performance last night, I would think you would lose. What makes you so sure?" I clenched my teeth. "No plan, eh?"

"Just watch me." I growled, glaring at her, realizing that my plan wasn't going to work if I was so angry. I unsheathed my sword and tied my hair up, starting to smile. I could see that caught her completely off guard. If only I could get deeper...You know what, dad. Change of plans. I'm going to emotionally scar her. Make her angry. She'll be as blind as a bull when I'm finished.

"Ready?"

"Ready." I replied, smiling. "Wait, did you know your makeup is a little smeared today? I doubt Jason would like to date a girl with bad makeup." She growled, clenching her teeth. I was close. She swung her blade and I blocked it with my shield, pearl and metal clanging together.

"What are you doing, Christian?" Piper growled, swinging again. "Jason doesn't care." I raise my eyebrows.

"Really? I heard him talk to Leo and Percy about your makeup. I'm not one to gossip..." She swung at me again. "...but I really don't like seeing my _friend _being talked about, especially if it's negative." The swords clanged as I stabbed out towards her chest plate, her sword catching on mine. I blinked, the reflection of the sun getting in my eyes. I realised my mistake too late, and she sliced open my forehead, blood running down my face, I touched my hand to my face, the laceration fading into a thin, white line. Piper sighed in frustration.

"It's too bad about you two. You would have been great together." I continued. Now, her eyebrows raised, uneasy.

"What are you talking about, Christian? We are still together." She said quietly, sounding both confused and angry. Yikes. I was dead. if not now, I would be later. I continued my lies.

"Oh... Oops. I heard him talking to the boys about how you are just another stuck up daughter of Aphrodite, self absorbed and selfish. Just another toy to play with."

"You liar!" She screamed, her eyes blazing. She swung her sword, but I easily sidestepped the blow, parrying it with my own sword. By this time, a crowd had gathered. Crowds seemed to like me these days. There were shouts, people chanted for Piper and I. The words I heard most was, "Go, Christian!" Screamed by the boys, echoing in my head, my ears ringing. Only the girls were rooting for Piper. The sound was deafening, even more so when Piper put her hand up and sheathed her sword, sweat pouring down her face.

"I surrender. You win." She stated. The camp went wild, rushing forward to meet me at the middle of the arena. I didn't even notice when people started to talk to me. I sunk to the ground, to exhausted to stand.

_You've found a weapon and used it well, my daughter. I am proud. _My Apollo's voice echoed in my mind. I smiled, completely oblivious to the fact that people were talking to me. I blinked. What?

"Huh?" I stared blankly at the person in front of me. His piercingly golden eyes looking at me with concern. Annabeth stood behind him, picking up my sword, dusting it off.

"We're going to take you to the house. Okay? You're injured." I could see true worry in his eyes. How is it that people I don't even know can care so much about me? I didn't even know this guy's name. Obviously, he the son of Hestia, but his name was basically non-existent.

Before the golden eyed boy carried me to the house, I caught a glimpse of Piper, who had tears streaming down her cheeks. She was talking to Jason and Leo, then looked over and stared daggers at me. My body went cold. This girl would kill me in my sleep. She was angry. People probably realize I can't be trusted. I lie. Hopefully, people also realize it is a deadly hand to hand combat technique. The boy's warm hands felt good against my cold and clammy body, my speeding heart rate slowing down. My eyes started to close, but then, he started to talk to me.

"You don't know me, do you? Nobody does. I'm Damon, son of Hestia. The only one, just like you." I smiled a little. I had a feeling he would introduce himself eventually. My eyelids got heavy again, starting to close. "Stay awake, Christian. Please. For me?" Anything for him. He was the only one who understood, the only one who knew what it was like to be the only one born to a certain god. "You were amazing out there, you know. I could never have gotten underneath somebody's skin like you did. Will you teach me?" Damon said, still talking to me.

"Yes." I whispered. "For you." Then, he layed me on the couch in the house, kissing my forehead as everything grew dark. I knew that I would have someone there for me when I awoke. I dreamed, but still one of my dad, Apollo.

_Me- Hey, dad._

_Apollo- You did wonderfully today. I'm so proud of my daughter._

_Me- Thanks. I just feel bad about lying. I didn't want to ruin our friendship, just win the fight._

_Apollo- Here's something for you..._

_The wind might rage,_

_The storm might flood,_

_But where there's rainbows, _

_There's always the sun._

_Me- What does that mean?_

_Apollo- You are my daughter. Figure it out, then call for me. You will know when you've found the true meaning._

_Me- Thanks._

_Apollo- For what?_

_Me- Teaching me how to fight._

_Apollo- I gave my wisdom, you put it into meaning. Call when you need me, my daughter._

The scene faded away, leaving me on the couch in the darkening room, Damon snoring away in a chair beside me. I reach out and brush his shaggy hair away from his face, and his eyes flutter open.

"Christian?" He whispers. I shush him with a finger on his lips.

"Thank you." I whisper to him, my lips brushing his ear. He gives me a small smile.

"Why?"

"For understanding. You're the only one at Camp Half-Blood who understands. We have so much more in common than I ever realized. I want you to be mine." I looked into his eyes, caressing his cheek.

"I want you more than you could ever imagine. We are special alone. Together, we are unstoppable. The moment I noticed you, I knew you were different. I just didn't know how. You are much like me, in the fact that we are not as deadly with physical weapons, but with cunning and skills that let us think outside the normal combat view of other Demigods. We are dangerous beyond the dreams of even Percy Jackson. We are deadly in our own way. We can turn people against us by just speaking to them, let alone being in combat with them. Our words have power, Christian." Damon spoke to me, choosing his words carefully. They were powerful, without a doubt. They touched my heart deeply, and tears started to stream down my face, my lower lip trembling. There was no way that even Apollo could understand this as well as Damon and I did.

Damon wiped my tears away with his thumb, leaning in and kissing me with so much passion, it overwhelmed me. There was no way that anything would tear us apart. No threat, no weapon, no god, Titan, monster, or Demigod would ever break us. We were inseparable. We felt each other's pain and loneliness, turning it around by talking and understanding. We knew each other well, even though we just met.

"I can't believe we only met a few hours ago." I whispered. He laughed.

"You would think that we've known each other for weeks, years really." He smiled, squeezing my hand. "I'll make sure Piper doesn't get to you."

"I can handle her, but if Percy, Jason, and Leo team up against me, I'm out of luck." Damon nodded in agreement, leaning back in the chair and closing his eyes. I slept dreamless for the first time in my life that night. Hopefully, I'd still be alive in the morning.


	3. Chapter 3

The yellow curtains flapped in the chilly breeze, thunder rumbling in the distance. Dark gray clouds tumbled closer to camp, circling around the force field used to prevent bad weather. The tension was high in the air, static electricity coming in waves. The Gods were angry.

I slammed the window shut, the air growing warm once again. The wind was brutal, and even Jason couldn't stop it. In the center of my cabin, a small fire glowed, both for warmth and comfort. A cello lay in the furthermost corner, right next to a small wooden chair and a music stand. I sat cross-legged on the yellow bedspread of my golden fourposter bed, a notebook in hand. Singing a song was easily done, but writing one took a little more time. Once I sang it, I didn't remember it unless I wrote it down before. That didn't help when I had "moments" where I would sing a song and never know why Or what I sang.

So far, the composition was about the wind, changing as easily as taking a breath. It sounded sad and forlorn, but oddly beautiful, the words going like this.

_The past is gone,_

_ On the wind._

_Future is forward,_

_Around the bend._

_I look at you,_

_Here and now._

_And wonder how I got here._

_The time alone,_

_I have found,_

_Brings me back,_

_To the present._

_Thinking about the future now,_

_Punished then,_

_Don't look now. _

_Danger lurks in front of me..._

I stop writing, reading the last four lines over and over in my mind. Why? Why do I write and not remember? Everything I do has to do with not looking at the future. What do the Fates have in store for me. Suddenly, a knock on my door snaps me back to reality, and I stand up, dropping my notebook and pen to the floor. The door swings open, and Damon steps into the light of the fire. It glows unnaturally, as if it sensed his presence, and maybe it did.

"Hey. I thought you'd be here. The Gods are angry." He walks through the cabin, pulling back the curtain in front of the window. The wind outside the little bubble that protected us was creating massive waves by the ocean that repeatedly slammed against the force field.

"Ya. I know. It seems strange that none of us have had dreams the past couple of days."

"I'm enjoying it. You look well rested for once." Damon tucked a stray strand of blonde hair behind my ear, pulling me closer.

"So do you." I replied, leaning into him, my head resting on his shoulder. I closed my eyes. The days after the incident with Piper had made me the subject of all gossip. Luckily, Damon agreed with me that it was fair to aggravate Piper by lying to her. But Chiron didn't. He thought it was a valuable weapon in real battle, but not something to use against your opponent during training. Truthfully, I was glad that I found a weapon, but didn't intend to use it for personal gain, like everyone thought I would.

"Has Apollo contacted you since then?" Damon asked, referring to my fight with Piper. I sighed.

" No." I mumbled into his shoulder. We had started to move slowly through the room, dancing to a nonexistent tune, or maybe it was the constant hum of music that quietly vibrated throughout the room.

" Aren't you worried? What if something happened to the Gods? There haven't been any new Demigods for a while." His lips lightly brushed my forehead, his hand sliding around my waist.

"Something's telling me not to look to the future, so I'm trying to focus on the here and now." I said, looking up at him. He ran a hand through my hair.

" What do you mean?" Damon asked, looking into my eyes. By this time, we had stopped moving.

" Every time I write or sing, it always has to do with the future. So far, it's been, 'Don't look at the future. The future's dangerous. Punishment will follow.'. It's starting to scare me." I exclaimed, sinking to my knees and leaning against the wall behind me. He sat down too, putting an arm across my shoulders.

" We'll figure everything out, Christian. I promise. Tell me when it happens again. We can make sense of all this."

I smiled, caressing his cheek with my thumb. He took my hand and squeezed it gently. Someone screamed. More screams followed. Jumping to our feet, Damon with a dagger, and I with a bow, we ran outside, only to see that our world was bathed in gold and orange light and piercing heat.


	4. Chapter 4

The intense heat of the flames scorched my arms and I started to sweat. Most of the cabins had been burned to the ground or were burning. The fire wouldn't burn me, but it was terribly uncomfortable.

The screams got louder as I sped towards the dining hall, turning into piercing shrieks and wails, echoing in my ears. I covered them, unable to go any further without my eardrums bursting. Someone handed me earplugs, and I put them in, grateful for the quiet swishing of my heart beat. Then, remembering why I was there, I got up and took off into the hall, where I found none other than the Ruler of the Underworld himself.

A ring of fire surrounded him, spreading by the minute. Some of the closer tables had already burst into flame. Thinking quickly, I stepped in front of him, fully aware that I could be blown to pieces any second, and held my arms out wide.

" Stop!" I screamed, looking straight at Hades. " This ends now!"

A small crowd had begun to form around the outer walls of the hall. I spotted Nico DiAngelo next to Percy, and Piper and Jason next to them. Piper glared at me, but my anger lessened a little when I couldn't find Damon. Where was he?

" Hades, your own son is here and already dislikes you. Hate is not what we need. You are destroying your own son's home, the place he loves so much. This ends now." Still no response.

" A lot of Demigods dislike you, and I'm starting to find out why." The fire ring flickered a little. I was on the right track.

"You're no better than Kronos. You destroy what isn't your's and you ruin life for other people. Maybe your lost souls would be under better control if they were actually willing to go to you." I could tell I hit the spot; the light was dimming slowly. I continued. " Please, just listen for once. I can make you better than you could ever be. You can keep your reputation, but only if you'd just listen to me." The light went completely out now, and a lone bedraggled figure stood hunched over in the middle of the room.

Hades squared his shoulders, glared at me, and disappeared in a shower of fire and ashes, leaving the room echoing from the sound of the lost souls' wails. I sunk to the ground, noticing that my arms were covered in angry red burns, some charred around the edges. Blood dripped from my forehead, running down my bare arms and neck. In the background, people cheered. I wiped my forehead on my arm, the hot liquid stinging my burns. I didn't remember seeing Damon in the crowd. Was he okay?

My world spun as I stood up, but I forced myself to slowly make my way through the makeshift hospital that had been set up in the dining hall. Looking up and down the rows of tables and beds filled with burn victims. The smell of burned hair and flesh made me gag as I made my way outside.

More than half the cabins had been burned to the ground, but mine had been left unscathed. Maybe Damon was in there. I turned the handle and pushed, but the door wouldn't budge. Maybe if I had some help... I called Jason over, and we pushed and shoved the door until it gave way, opening up into my cabin, now completely demolished on the inside.

I walked through, seeing my cello smashed to pieces along the far wall. The window was broken, and the sheets torn off my bed. The fire in the middle flickered feebly as I searched the room for anything missing, along with Jason and Percy, who had followed me into the cabin. Finally, I stood up after checking under my bed, looking at the boys.

" My notebook's gone. I left it on the bed, but it's not there." I sighed, running my hands through my ash covered hair. "Has anyone seen Damon?"

" Nope. Sorry, Christian. I could got check the lists if you want. I have to sign my name on it anyway." Percy said, sympathetically. " I can't find Annabeth, either." I could tell he was really worried about her.

" I guess I'll go with you." I shrugged, throwing one of my pillows to the side. I followed Percy to the combat arena, where I signed my name on the uninjured list. Flipping through the pages with Percy, I couldn't find Damon's name on the injured or un injured lists. I looked at Percy, and he elbowed me.

"I found them." Percy said. I jumped, leaning over to see the page he was on. To my dismay, he was on the MIA list. I looked at where his finger was and saw both Damon and Annabeth's names on the list.

" Missing in action... Do you think this has anything to do with my bedroom and my notebook?"

" I don't know. It's either that, or they burned to death."

" Damon is immune to fire. He can't burn."

"Oh... Right. By the way, what was so special about your notebook, anyway?" Percy started walking back to the dining hall, passing other campers who nodded at them.

" It was from my dad. I keep writing about how I shouldn't look to the future, and how there will be punishment if I do, which worries me. It's even more strange that it was stolen."

" Whatever you do, Christian, remember not to looking to the future. I have a feeling that whomever stole the notebook wanted you to forget. I'll help you." Percy put a hand on my arm, and I forced a smile. "We'll look for Damon and Annabeth together."

" Together." I repeated. I lost the love of my life a week after I found him. Now that was just ridiculous. Overwhelmed by emotion, I started to sing.

_In a meadow,_

_In a valley,_

_Songs forever they play._

_And you lay there,_

_Bed of flowers,_

_Music softly it plays._

_You are gone,_

_And lost forever._

_And the futu..._

Percy elbowed me sharply, and I yelped.

" What was that for?"

" You did it again. You talked about the future. I just stopped you."

"Oh." I sighed. " Thanks."

"By the way, you should probably get some ambrosia. Those burns look bad." Percy said, gesturing to my arms. They were raw and red, blood oozing out of the deeper parts.

I made my way to the dining hall, thinking up a to do list. I was going to find my notebook, Damon, Annabeth, and have a chat with Hades. I thought my life was crazy enough.


	5. Chapter 5

The next week, Percy and I set off for Hades' realm, along with Percy's friend, Nico. Since Nico was a son of Hades, we figured that it would be good if we brought him along. I wasn't too keen about meeting Lord Hades again, considering our previous one didn't go so well, and definitely didn't want to do it without him. The storms weren't any better, so we decided not to go by sea or air. We took a taxi through New York, which was interesting. The number of Cyclops living in abandoned alleys was baffling. I half expected to find a few sheep with them, but I guess I was thinking of Polyphemus. Once we were out of the urban area and a rural area, we trashed our cellphones, not wanting to attract any unwanted monsters.

" Do you think we'll find them?" I sat down by our campfire, throwing in a piece of rabbit for my dad. I glanced over at Nico. He shrugged, shaking his shaggy black hair out of his face.

"Don't know. If anybody has them, it has to be my dad, unless..." He bit his lip thoughtfully.

"Unless what?"

"Nothing."

"Nico." I looked at him. Percy spoke this time.

"Unless another God, Goddess, or monster took them, using the commotion Hades caused to their advantage."

"Exactly." Nico replied, running a hand through his hair. I sighed. Of course. Nothing was ever simple when it came to Greeks. A single tear trickled down my cheek, my nose starting to run. There was no way I was going to cry in front of two boys, but I couldn't help it. More tears fell, my shoulders shaking with every silent sob. I felt Percy come over and sit next to me, putting his arm around me. I leaned into his strong embrace, crying harder.

"It's okay, Christian. We'll find him."

Nico snorted, Percy turning to glare at him. "Do you always have to be so pessimistic?"

"No. Do you always have to raise people's hopes? Christian, I know how it feels to lose someone you love, but they always come back to you in some shape or form. My sister comes back to me in the form of a spirit." Nico takes my hand. It's ice cold, making me tense up. I never thought I'd be holding hands with Nico, who is openly gay. Not that I had a problem with it, but I really didn't expect it. I could tell he was just as surprised with his actions as I was.

"Thanks, Nico. I think what Percy was really trying to say, was that we will eventually find them, whether they're dead or alive." I sniffed, one last tear trickling down my cheek. He squeezed my hand, helping me up off the ground.

"No problem." He said quietly. I put my arms around his neck and hugged him. Much to my surprise, he hugged me back, not pulling away.

"You don't always have to be alone." I whispered in his ear before pulling away, turning to Percy. "I'll take first shift." I say, taking my sword out of my bag. Both boys shrug, turning to the pile of blankets by the crackling fire.

"Holler if you need anything." Percy said before both boys were out, snoring loudly.

An hour later, I started to dose, jerking awake at every pop and crack of a twig or branch. Soon, I could barely keep my eyes open, and I woke Percy, who took second watch.

* * *

I woke to Percy shaking my shoulder, the woods still quiet and dark, except for a low growl. I sat up quickly, brandishing my blade. A pair of glowing, red eyes emerged from the brush, and a fully grown hell-hound stepped into the light of the fire. Nico was already up, his face pale in the light of the fire.

"Hell-hound." I whispered, just as it lunged at me, tearing the front of my shirt to shreds, my skin torn into ribbons. Lights flashed behind my eyes, my body sinking to the ground, Nico at my shoulders, helping me down. Everything was in slow motion. Percy turned to me, screaming my name. I waved him away. grimacing.

"I'll be fine! Take care of the monster." I waved Nico away as well, my blood staining the blankets I was laying on. Soon, all that remained of the hell-hound was a pill of dust, and Percy and Nico knelt by me, panting loudly.

"Why haven't you healed?" Percy panted, cutting my shirt off with a knife. I felt pretty nervous in just my bra, and I could feel Percy's eyes on my chest. I cleared my throat, and he looked up blushing slightly. He handed me a small chunk of ambrosia, and I immediately felt better, though my wounds didn't heal.

"They should heal. I must be losing too much blood to heal myself. Every gift comes with a price, you know." I yelped when Percy ripped off a part of his shirt and dabbed at my torn skin.

"Sorry." He mumbled. I could see that touching me bothered him. He was probably thinking about Annabeth. Suddenly, the strength I gained by eating the ambrosia started to go away, Percy looking stronger and more awake, the circles around his eyes fading a little. I grabbed his arm to stop him from touching my wounds.

"Percy, stop. You're taking my strength." My vision was a little fuzzy. He jumped back, realizing what he was doing.

"Oh, gods. I'm so sorry!"

"It's not your fault. I need more ambrosia. Just don't touch my skin until I've stopped bleeding. My blood gives energy to whomever touches it." He nodded, sitting back after handing me another small chunk of ambrosia. My stomach burned, the flow of blood slowing a little. Nico sat by the remains of the hell-hound, running his hands through the black dust.

"What now?" Percy asked, sighing heavily. I shrugged slowly.

"This wasn't one of my dad's hounds. The dust is made of ash, not sand, like this one was." Nico stood up from where he was, coming over to sit by the fire. "How are you? No, wait... stupid question." He sighed. "You're flickering. Right on the edge of the living and the dead. You've lost a lot of blood."

"So I'm dying?"

"I don't know. You're conscious, so I think you'll make it. It's hard to tell." Nico's eyes got cloudy, a dazed look crossing his face.

"Nico?" He shook his head, his eyes clearing.

"You'll make it. Don't worry." I smiled a little at the sound of his voice. He sounded so sure of himself.

"I'm gonna rest a little." I said, yawning. Percy nodded.

"I'll take third watch." Nico volunteered, stretching. Percy laid back on the blankets next to me, and I was lulled to sleep by the steady, rhythmic snores of Percy Jackson.


	6. Chapter 6

I woke up, laying right between both boys. Nico had fallen asleep during his watch, and lay right up against me, Percy on my other side, both facing me. My shirt was stained with blood, and I felt stiff and dizzy. I was still too weak to heal myself, leaving me weak and vulnerable. Percy stirred, rolling over, starting to snore loudly in my ear. I sighed. _Boys. _Sitting up slowly, I drop a branch into the dimming fire, igniting it once again. Both boys stir, opening their eyes to see the fire burning bright, me sitting by it's side. Percy and Nico get up, sitting down beside me.

" How are you feeling?" Percy asks, digging into the rest of yesterday's meal, his fingers smothered in grease. I shrugged.

" A little dizzy, but I guess I'm okay. I still haven't healed yet." I replied, roasting one of the rabbit legs over the fire. Percy frowned. Nico nudged me.

" You'll make it. You're past the danger now. Just take it easy, okay?"

I nodded, squeezing his arm. " I will." He reminded me of Damon, both caring and direct. Neither of them say what people want to hear. They speak the truth, seeing things for what they are. I sighed, biting my lip. I had to find him. I would do whatever it would take to bring him back. He was the only one who understood. If only we had dreams, we would be able to guess where he was. Annabeth too.

* * *

After breakfast, we walked out of the shelter of the woods, walking along dusty roads after shadow traveling with Nico. My wounds were slowly healing, turning into a thin scab after six hours, which was still slower than normal. Hopefully, I would be fully healed in two days at the most.

The hot wind stung my eyes, dust clouding my vision. Sweat soaked our clothing, running down our arms and faces. There was nothing around for miles except for dust, sand, and a few scraggly bushes here and there. Nico stumbled ahead of me, grabbing onto Percy for support, but then he went down hard on his stomach, nocking the wind out of him. Nico rolled off of Percy hastily, sitting up and coughing up mouthfuls of sand. Percy lay there coughing and choking, then sat up, breathing heavily.

" I...can't...go...any...further." Percy panted. Nico coughed again.

"Water, Percy... Water..." Nico rasped, clawing at the sand. I sat down and leaned against a rock, out of the wind, nodding for the boys to do the same. Soon, Percy had pulled enough water out of the plants nearby to quench our thirst, shortly replaced by hunger. By this time, it was dark out, and the wind died down, giving us cool air and a sweet breeze.

" Let's go." I stood up. The boys looked at me as if I was crazy. " If we wait till morning , we're never going to get anywhere." I put my hands on my hips, glaring at them. Nico shrugged. Percy sighed, both boys grabbing their bags and standing up.

" We can shadow travel. It's dark enough." Nico offered.

" Sure. " I replied, taking Nico's hand. Percy did the same And we were pulled into the shadows, surrounded in darkness.

* * *

We arrived at the entrance to Hades' realm this time. The entrance to the Underworld.

" You first, Nico?" I suggested. He nodded, stepping ahead. Percy brought up the rear, both boys surrounding me as we trudged along the dark passageway. You could smell death. Literally. The sour and musty smell came in gusts of air rushing towards us from the tunnel ahead. You would think that the air would be moving the other way, into the tunnel, but the Underworld was different. It was dangerous.

Nico kicked aside a large bone as we ventured deeper into the cavern, about the size of a human child. It was about four feet long and six inches wide, making me feel very uncomfortable. First of all, why was it there? Second, how could Nico kick it that far? Third, what or who did it belong to? I tried to get various gruesome images out of my my head as the slippery floor tilted downward. Ahead of me, Nico stopped, turning towards us.

" This is where it gets dangerous. We could shadow travel and risk attracting attention from monsters," I shivered. " Or we can go this way..." He gestured to a path about two feet across, needle-like stalagmites sticking up from the ground, only inches apart. Why was everything so difficult?


End file.
